Title

Orange You Glad I Didn't Say Banana!

Problem Scenario

Which of select

Broad Question

What substance will decompose fruit peels the fastest? (3/30/12)

Specific Question

Which of water, vinegar, coffee and orange juice decreases the weight of orange and banana peels the fastest? (4/3/12)

Hypothesis

It is hypothesized that water won't change the orange and banana peels as much as the other liquids. Also it is hypothesized that coffee will decompose the peels the most. (3/15/12)

Graph of Hypothesis

Variables

Independent Variable:

Different substances being tested (3/6/12)

Dependent Variable:

Speed of decomposition (3/30/12)

Variables That Need To Be Controlled:

Tested items, amount of substances used, area of testing (3/30/12)

Vocabulary List That Needs Explanation

substance- A physical matter or material.

decompose- To separate or resolve into constituent parts or elements.

compost- A mixture of various decaying organic substances, as dead leaves or manure, used for fertilizing soil.

(4/4/12)

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General Plan

A science experiment was conducted to test which of a few substances (water, white vinegar, cold black coffee, and orange juice) would speed up the composting process of banana and orange peels.This experiment began by gathering fruit peels, (with the same amount for each test). Once the peels were collected, each of them will be placed in the same environment, (a plastic tupperware). To ensure that the independent variables (the different substances being tested) were distributed evenly, each substance was measured, and evenly applied it to each set of peels. To see which substance composted the peels fastest, pictures were taken of the sets of peels on a frequent basis (every day). Each set of peels will be weighed (in grams) Once the pictures were completed, they will be compared to see which set of peels decomposed the fastest. This experiment started on March 7 and concluded on March 25. (3/6/12)

Potential Problems And Solutions

Mold was on the fruit peels and could cause infection, requiring gloves.

Safety Or Environmental Concerns

The cause of mold and bacteria in the containers is not breathable like air. (4/4/12)

Experimental Design

(add the correct headings from the experimental design page before beginning)

Resources and Budget Table

Oranges- $3.59
Bananas- $2.60
Orange Juice- $3.00
Coffee- $8.00
(4/4/12)

Data Table

Different Liquids	Mass of Food (g) Day 0	Mass of Food (g) Day 4	Mass of Food (g) Day 7	Mass of Food (g) Day 12
Water	47.17	29.2	25.9	19.27
Vinegar	45.07	31.87	29.67	27.03
Orange Juice	45.22	47.7	30.53	26.83
Coffee	47.93	25.03	22.3	20.03

Time Line

Fri. March 2 -complete design and collection of all materials
Fri. March 2 -run a test of the set up, not collecting data, just seeing if everything works
Mon. March 4 -run first official trials of experiment, collect first data
Fri. March 23 -complete all trials of experiment and all data collection
Mon. March 25 -complete all data analysis; mean, median, range, graphs,
Mon. March 25-30 -complete results and conclusions write up
(3/6/12)

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Background Research

PURPOSE:
To determine which factor speeds up the decomposition in fruits and vegetables – air and light or complete darkness with stagnant air.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Many people enjoy making compost piles to help fertilize their plants and aid the environment. In the majority of cases, compost piles take quite a bit of time to create as you have to wait for several days or weeks for the pile to decompose. This experiment can help determine how someone can speed up the decomposition of their compost pile.

-Fruit peels, leaves and other natural waste make up about 30 percent of your garbage.

-Compost is one of nature’s best mulches and soil amendments, and you can use it instead of commercial fertilizers. Using compost improves soil structure, texture, and aeration and increases the soil’s water-holding capacity.

Gardeners can step in and accelerate the composting process
by creating optimal conditions for decomposition.
Get the balance right. Compost = Air + Water + 2 Parts
Browns + 1 Part Greens
Shred, chop, or chip ingredients. Smaller pieces of
material have more surfaces for microorganisms to work on,
so your pile decomposes faster. Pieces ranging from 1?2 to
11?2 inches decompose best.
Have a critical mass. A pile will not heat up if it's too
small. Minimum size is 3 by 3 by 3 feet.
Mix your ingredients. For a long time, experts (including?
gasp!?this magazine) recommended piling up ingredients like
a layer cake, but compost should really be more like a
tossed salad?mixing all the goodies together produces the
best results. "You definitely want to mix," says Dr.
Cogger. "You want to get the green and brown material in
intimate contact." Layer cake?style composting causes
compaction and reduces biological activity.
Aerate your pile. Compost can be turned twice a week or
never; it's up to you. But the more you turn it, the faster
you'll get results.
Monitor moisture. Dry piles decompose slowly, so adjust
moisture as needed.
Add some microbes. Mix in a shovelful of finished compost
or garden soil to get the microbial activity rolling.

(3/15/12)

References

_http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_long_does_it_take_orange_peels_to_decompose__
__http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_long_does_a_banana_peel_take_to_decompose__
http://compostguide.com/
__http://www.countrysideinfo.co.uk/decompos.htm__
__http://www.ehow.com/how_5673310_compost-banana-peels.html__
http://dictionary.reference.com/

__http://www.allinterview.com/showanswers/10068.html__
__http://www.sciencefairadventure.com/ProjectDetail.aspx?ProjectID=133__.

__http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/store/10.1002/recl.19360550809/asset/19360550809_ftp_p1.png?v=1&s=c195322ef2e5da7badfe506317e46c9d5ff9b353__

__http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/recl.19360550809/abstract__

(4/4/12)

Detailed Procedure

To begin this experiment, the oranges and banana's will be peeled. Before the peels are massed, an empty container will need to be massed, in ordered to have a mass to subtract from the total (with the container and peels) to get the weight of just the peels. After this, the peels will be massed, so there are 12 groups, each with 20 grams of banana and 20 grams of orange. Once they are all separated, each group (with 20 g banana and 20 g orange) will be separated and placed into 12 different plastic containers. Next, the four liquids being tested will be measured. There will be 12 bottle sprays (around 10 ml) of each liquid applied to the peels. Because there are 12 containers, and 4 liquids, there will be 3 containers with the same liquid in them. Once the liquids are measured, they will be applied to their proper container. Once all the peels are sprayed with the proper liquid, they will be massed, and the original mass of the container will be subtracted to get just the mass of the peels and the liquid. Once they are massed, the containers will each be sealed and labeled with the liquid that is sprayed on the peels inside. Each container will then be placed in a green house, so that they are all in the same environment to help control the results.
(4/5/12).

Diagram

Photo List

Images will be taken every other day during the experiment. This will add up to at least 8 pictures. Also they will be taken of all the materials and spray bottles.

Spray bottle
Empty Tupperware and lid
Substances (in Tupperware)
Bananas and Orange peels
Environment
Experiment in process (Several for every other day)
Scale
(3/15/12)

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Results

An experiment was conducted to find out which of a few liquids decreased the mass of banana and orange peels fastest. The data collected from the trials conducted showed that out of the liquids we used (water, orange juice, coffee, and vinegar), water was the liquid that decreased the mass of the peels the quickest.
(4/4/12)

All Raw Data

Graphs

Photos

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Data Analysis

Conclusion

An experiment was to see which liquid sped up the process of decomposing fruit peels. Our dependent variable was the different liquids we were testing (orange juice, water, coffee, vinegar), and our independent variable was the mass of the orange and banana peels that the DV’s were getting sprayed on. Our results show that water decreases the mass of banana and orange the quickest. On the last day of our testing, the mean weight for water was 19.27 grams. For orange juice the mean was 26.83 grams. For vinegar the mean was 27.03 grams. For coffee the mean was 20.03 grams. These results show that by the end of our experiment the peels with coffee had lost the most weight. (4/3/12)

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Discussion

An experiment was conducted to test which of a few liquids would decrease the mass (in grams) of banana and orange peels. Our question was: which of select liquids (water, orange juice, coffee, vinegar) decreases the mass of banana and orange peels the fastest? The question was able to be answered from the data collected, and from the liquids tested, it was learned that water was the one that over time decreased the mass of the peels that were tested. The peels were massed, and observations were written about their qualitative aspects. Each day the peels were checked, they were massed, and that data was averaged. The conclusion was determined from the mean of the last day the peels were massed. The mean of the peels with water was the lowest, at 19.27 grams.

It was hypothesized that orange juice was the liquid that would decrease the mass of banana and orange peels over time. This hypothesis can’t be supported by the results, because the results proved that water was the liquid that decreases the mass quickest. The results can be explained from research and the experiment by saying that water was a non-acidic substance, unlike vinegar and orange juice which are acidic, and instead of helping mold grow (mold is what composts the peels so that they lose mass) it would kill it; whereas a non- acidic substance, water would not kill the mold, but in fact help it to grow.

From our observations, there is a clear pattern. In our written observations, it is easy to see that as time went on, in some tupperwares (with certain liquids) the peels were shrinking, getting slimy, losing color, or growing white fuzzy molds. It was clear that the peels were changing more as time went on. From our data, there was also a clear pattern. As time went on, each time we checked the mass of the peels, they were all decreasing in mass. With some sets of peels, the difference (from one day they were weighed to another) was very big, and with others there wasn’t so much of a difference.

When setting up the experiment, there was a problem of how the change that was occurring to the peels as they were checked would be measured. It was thought that the best way was to simply measure the mass of the peels, and write observations about what changes of their qualitative appearance.

When this experiment was being set up, the tested liquids were going to be applied to the peels each time they were checked. When the experiment started, it was thought better to only apply the liquids once, so the gradual change of the peels could measured, instead of what would happen if the liquids were applied frequently. If this experiment was to be run again, the types of fruit and peels tested would be from a greater variety . For example, an actual banana would be tested, or different kinds of peels (i.e apple, pear). If different substances were tested, that might also end up with more varied results. For example, maybe more acid liquids, more non-acidic liquids, and maybe some oils..

To help control the environment of the experiment, it would be put in an environment with controlled temperature and light. To conduct this experiment a scale (measuring in grams) was needed. A camera is also needed to record images of the peels as the change over time. Background research and information was important as well. In order to make an accurate hypothesis, a basic understanding of the subject is needed.

This experiment design and results could improve the information or technology of someone learning about this question in the future. It could help them conduct a more complex experiment. The knowledge gained through this experiment could be of benefit or use to people or society for mostly farmers. This could be very helpful information and could lead to tips about composting and planting crops. (4/4/12)

Benefit to Community and/or Science

Because of the experiment, it is now known that orange juice should not be poured over compost. Also that water ended up decomposing the peels the fastest.
(4/4/12)

Abstract